This invention relates to surgical appliances for closing artificial body openings, such as artificial abdominal openings and the like, and in particular, to a surgical closure plug means adapted for ileostomy and colostomy use which may be dependably, conveniently and comfortably used by a patient without a belt, bag or any other unsightly attachment on the surface of the body and which will quickly rehabilitate a patient psychologically to a normal way of life and its pursuits within a minimum of time after the above related operations.
Generally, colostomy patients are those individuals who have had their lower bowels (rectum and anus) removed surgically due to cancer or other malignant infections of the colon or of like areas. The bowel (small or large) is, therefore, brought out by the surgeon through an aperture in the side of the abdominal wall of the patient and surgically attached to the outer skin for the purpose of serving as a means for the elimination of body wastes. In the medical field, the artificial body aperture or opening is termed a "stoma". Although a person can function quite well after this type of operation, there are no voluntary muscles or sphincter to control passage of body waste materials, liquids or gases. Pads, various receptacles and several means of bag attachments are either taped over the opening or attached thereto by means of a belt worn around the body to cover the stoma and to collect (not control) the escape of fecal waste or body liquid waste material. These means of waste elimination control are very inefficient and ineffective and present a great physiological problem to a recovering patient or to the rehabilitating of a recovered patient in that they must wear an external and clumsy outer bag to prevent the patient from soiling themselves.
Although plug type openings have been known, they have either applied pressure to a small area of the body opening thereby irritating the periphery of this opening, or have been difficult to apply and uncomfortable to wear and are not in use today.